Argentina to close borders for non-residents to combat coronavirus

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Argentina will close its borders for 15 days to non-residents in order to combat the spread of coronavirus, President Alberto Fernandez said on Sunday.

Public and private school classes would also be suspended until March 31, Fernandez said. National parks would also be closed.

A day earlier, Argentina published a decree establishing a 30-day ban on entry to non-residents who have traveled to a country highly affected by coronavirus in the last 14 days.

The country has also temporarily stopped issuing visas to travelers from the United States, China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Britain and many European countries.

Argentina now has 56 cases of coronavirus, the government said, up from 45 on Saturday.

(Reporting by Cassandra Garrison and Walter Bianchi; editing by Diane Craft)